Ethical Awards

I asked the lovely hubby if he would like to come, but he couldn’t get the time off work (Boooooooo!), so my ‘plus 1’ is going to be Emma Croft from Wiltshire Wildlife Trust 🙂

So what are the Observer Ethical Awards all about then?

They were started in 2005 by Lucy Siegle who is The Guardian’s Ethical Living Columnist, and none other than Annie Lennox was on stage to present the awards. Since then they have become known as the “Green Oscars” and are not only a way of recognising the Great and Good work done by the Great and the Good, but they also support the work of the next generation of Young Green Champions.

The awards are split into ten categories, from things like Retailer of the Year, and Business Initiative, through Campaigner of the Year, and Unsung Local Hero, to Well-Dressed, Big Idea, and Young Green Champions.

There is a prestigious panel of judges who get the incredibly tough job of deciding the winners, including some household names such as Ben Fogle, Deborah Meaden and James Wong.
Voting has now closed, but many of the categories were open to reader nominations and then a public vote, so providing the general public the chance to find out more about ethical brands and projects and to have their say.

I think one of the most exciting categories is Ecover’s Young Green Champions (I’m not just saying this because they have given me tickets to the event!) which is for “Under 18’s with a World Changing Idea”.

Photograph: Ron Levine for The Guardian

Last year’s award was won by a group of young children called “Fact Fashion” who had the innovative idea to put the messages about the issues that they cared about on their clothing, and in 2011, the winners created bird and bat boxes which are now being stocked in their local safari park!
This year Ecover are providing the winner’s with £6,000 to help make their scheme really take off.

Hopefully this really will help to inspire the next generation of Young Green Champions.
This is, after all, their planet we are trashing, the very least our generation can do is support them in developing the ideas and skills that they will need if they are going to be able to save it.

Better go and check out my wardrobe-what does one wear do an Ethical Awards..?!